Catholic Nutshell News: Tuesday 7/14/26
Catholics should know: Rates of HIV, AIDS down; Teacher fired for sharing pro-life views; ‘Pope’s hospital’ for sick children; & Autonomous weapons and human rights
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Your 5-minute Catholic briefing for busy faithful. Today's sources are OSV News, EWTN, First Things, Big Pulpit, Aleteia, and The Pillar. (Catholic Nutshell is a subscription service for faithful, hopeful, & curious Catholics willing to exercise their Catholic News Muscle)
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Our Sunday Visitor
Rates of HIV, AIDS down, but children still vulnerable
By Gina Christian, July 13, 2026
Much has been done to mitigate rates of HIV and AIDS, but more work remains as children are still vulnerable to the virus and the disease it causes, said the Holy See’s diplomatic representative to the United Nations in a July 10 address. “The number of new HIV infections has declined in most regions since 2010, with the greatest decreases in sub-Saharan Africa,” said Msgr. Marco Formica, the interim chargé d’affaires of the Vatican’s permanent observer mission at the U.N. Archbishop Gabriele G. Caccia served as the Vatican’s U.N. permanent observer from 2019 until his March appointment as papal nuncio to the U.S. According to its website, UNAIDS — the U.N. agency tasked with eradicating that disease and its underlying virus — serves “as the primary political mechanism for accountability and commitment in the global HIV response.
Zeale
Catholic teacher fired for sharing pro-life views sues school
By Elizabeth Ervin, July 14, 2026
A Catholic teacher in Scotland is taking legal action after alleging she was fired for expressing her pro-life views, according to GBN. Sarah Morse, who taught history at Arbroath High School in Scotland, said she was dismissed from her position after answering students’ questions about her beliefs, including her opposition to abortion and support for President Donald Trump. Morse said she was fired the day after the discussion and was not given an opportunity to present her side before being dismissed, later describing the experience as a “nightmare,” according to GBN. “I was not offered any sort of right of reply,” she said, “asked for my account of what happened, or how my legally protected beliefs were raised in the context of a history class.” Morse said the discussion was meant to model respectful disagreement rather than influence students’ opinions.
EWTN News
Historic ‘pope’s hospital’ offers innovation for sick children
By Hannah Brockhaus, July 14, 2026
After more than 40 years as a research institution, the Vatican-owned children’s hospital, Bambino Gesù, continues to be at the front lines of pediatric medical research as it strives to bring the best possible care to young patients from around the world. In one of its latest advancements, “the pope’s hospital” unveiled a new Gene Therapy Laboratory in October 2025 to develop new treatments for genetic diseases. “We must always remain at the forefront of research, not to boast about our achievements, but because we must find the newest treatments that save lives and help children have a future. This is what matters most to us,” hospital president Tiziano Onesti told EWTN News. “Children must be treated with … the most innovative treatments, and these must be accessible to everyone,” he said. “This is what sets Bambino Gesù apart — the fact that we are truly open to everyone.”
CBCP News
Bishops discourage pilgrimages to disputed South Korea shrine
By CBCP News, July 13, 2026
Philippine Catholic bishops on Monday discouraged pilgrimages to a controversial Marian site in Naju, South Korea, urging the faithful instead to deepen Marian devotion through approved shrines and the Church’s sacramental life. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines reaffirmed that the alleged Marian apparitions, reported Eucharistic miracles, and other phenomena in Naju are not recognized by the Church as supernatural. he guidance calls on diocesan pilgrimage organizers, parish leaders, travel agencies, Filipino pilgrims, and Marian devotees to refrain from organizing, promoting, or participating in pilgrimages to the site. “Instead, we encourage the faithful to make pilgrimages to approved Marian shrines in the Philippines and throughout the world, where authentic Marian devotion is fostered in full communion with the Church,” the bishops said.
National Catholic Register
Questions after Nigerian priest’s suicide in Massachusetts
By Matthew McDonald, July 13, 2026
A Catholic priest from Nigeria who killed himself in Massachusetts earlier this month was distraught over being unable to extend his stay in the United States and the recent death of the bishop of his home diocese, people who knew the priest told the Register. Father Benjamin Madu, 54, who had served as a hospital chaplain and a weekend Mass celebrant for a parish collective on Cape Ann, died July 2, according to the Archdiocese of Boston, where he had ministered for the past five years. The priest’s visa, which allowed him to stay in the United States, was due to expire on July 29, and the Diocese of Abakaliki leadership had directed Father Madu to return to Nigeria as early as this month, according to the Archdiocese of Boston. Authorities had not released a cause of death as of Monday. But an email message an archdiocesan official sent priests 10 days ago on behalf of Archbishop Richard Henning and seen by the Register said the priest “tragically took his own life.”
Aleteia
Why do Catholics light votive candles?
By Philip Kosloski, July 10, 2026
Almost nothing says “Catholic” like votive candles, especially if they are placed before images or statues in a church setting. When a film or television show wants the audience to know a character is Catholic, a confessional or a rack of votive candles is sure to turn up. Confession, of course, is a sacrament, but what about those candles? Is it a superstitious practice? Quite the opposite. “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). At our Easter Vigil, when the deacon or priest enters the darkened church with the single Easter candle, he intones, “Christ, our Light.” To which the congregation replies, “Thanks be to God.” This recalls how Jesus entered our world of sin and death to bring us the light of God. Besides illuminating the places where the early Christians celebrated Mass, candles were also lit at the tombs of martyrs. It also reminds the individual how the saint is constantly praying for their petitions.
The Pillar
Priestly ordinations rise or fall depending on where you are
By Jack Figge, July 13, 2026
Priestly ordinations in the United States are up slightly from last year, but are heavily concentrated in certain regions of the country. According to data gathered and analyzed by The Pillar, of the 342 men ordained to the diocesan priesthood in 2026, a little more than half were ordained in Midwest and Southeast dioceses, despite those dioceses making up only 28% of the Catholic population in the country. Nationally, priestly ordination numbers this year were up from last year, when 315 men were ordained to the diocesan priesthood. Numbers are still lower than they were a decade ago. In 2016, there were 376 ordinations. In 2026, only one U.S. diocese ordained 10 or more men to the priesthood: the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina (10 ordinations). Two dioceses ordained nine men: the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and the Archdiocese of Miami. Of the 10 dioceses with the largest ordination classes, only one — the Archdiocese of Philadelphia — is also among the 10 most populated dioceses.
Zenit News
Fulani militias responsible for most deaths in Nigeria: 36 per day
By ZENIT Staff, July 13, 2026
According to a six-year study conducted by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA), Islamic Fulani militias are by far the deadliest persecutors of Christians in Nigeria. More than 42,000 of those killed were civilians, averaging 36 people a day. The network of militias is responsible for four times more civilian deaths than the two prominent Islamic terror organizations, Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), combined. “Violence linked to Fulani militia is the dominant force behind Nigeria’s death toll. The Western preoccupation with Boko Haram is, at best, misleading,” Frans Vierhout, a senior research analyst at ORFA, told TruthNigeria. “While President Trump has rightly condemned terrorism in Nigeria and supported military operations against ISIS-linked terrorists, those actions have not addressed what we believe is now the primary threat facing Christian communities throughout Nigeria’s Middle Belt,” said Judd Saul, founder and president of Equipping the Persecuted.
Keep informed - 7/14/26 news for Catholics
Snippets: Pulpit, EWTN, & Aleteia
BIG PULPIT
Tito Edwards’ Catholic blogger site: July 14, 2026
The Big Pulpit website is an intelligent news aggregator offering insights and analysis on the Catholic Church worldwide. Here are Chief Editor Tito Edward’s top recommendations for today.
The Renovation of Immaculate Conception Church in Omaha, Nebraska – Liturgical Arts Journal
Surprised by Joy: How a Podcast Hosted by Nuns Took Over the Internet – National Catholic Register
Papal Nuncio to Great Britain: A Visit From Pope Leo Is ‘Likely’ – Catholic World Report
The Inside Story Behind the ‘Apache Christ’ Controversy in Mescalero – Lepanto Institute
EWTN News
EWTN’s top headlines — July 14, 2026
EWTN News provides reliable, free, up-to-the-minute news affecting the Universal Church, emphasizing the words of the Holy Father and the activities of the Holy See, and is available to anyone with internet access.
Pakistan court hands rare prison sentence over anti-Christian riots - By Kamran Chaudhry - An anti-terrorism court sentenced a crane driver to 10 years for demolishing a church during the 2023 mob attacks, but Christian leaders warn one conviction falls far short of justice.
Society of St. Pius X appeals to Vatican against schism decree - By Walter Sánchez Silva - The society filed its appeal with the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on July 11, arguing that under canon law, the move suspends the recent excommunication decree.
Pro-life leaders remember Sen. Lindsey Graham as a longtime champion for unborn children - By Katherine Matt - Following news of Graham’s death, leaders from Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, National Right to Life, and other pro-life groups reflected on the South Carolina Republican’s legacy, highlighting his willingness to pursue federal protections for unborn children even when such efforts faced political opposition.
Aleteia
Aleteia’s global network of experts, journalists, & contributors
Aleteia (aleteia.org) is an online publication distributed in six languages (English, French, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese, and Slovenian). Launched in 2013, it is one of the world’s leading news websites. Aleteia offers both general and religious content free from ideological influences.
Fernando Mendoza narrates Hallow’s new St. Paul series - Fernando Mendoza is narrating a 7-day prayer challenge about St. Paul for the Catholic prayer app Hallow, which started yesterday, July 13. He has a personal connection to the saint, as he attended St. Paul Catholic Center in Bloomington during his time at Indiana University.
Sigrid Undset cause for canonization to open this fall - Undset, a Catholic convert and lay Dominican, won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928 and is considered one of the foremost writers of the 20th century. The Catholic Church will begin a formal investigation to determine whether Undset lived a life of heroic virtue in such a way that she can be officially declared a saint.
Champion Shrine to host “Catholic Saints of America” exhibit - To coincide with July 4th, the Shrine of Our Lady of Champion will be hosting a special “America 250 - Saints of America Exhibit.” The shrine is unique in that it is the site of the only approved Marian apparition in the United States, and the event seeks to highlight all of the active American sainthood causes in one place.
July 14, 2026 - USCCB Daily Mass Readings
You can listen HERE - or read HERE:
Memorial of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin [In the Dioceses of the United States]
Today’s Catholic commentary:
Vatican News
Pope is the head of state, but he does not speak as a politician
By Andrea Tornielli, July 6, 2026
Even when he speaks about war and peace, migration, or how to remain human in the age of artificial intelligence, the Successor of Peter remains, above all, a spiritual leader. The fact that the Bishop of Rome, by virtue of the Lateran Pacts of 1929 that resolved the “Roman Question,” is also the sovereign of the world’s smallest state—less than half a square kilometer in the heart of the Italian capital—does not mean that he acts or speaks as a politician when addressing issues concerning the affairs of humanity. A tiny patch of land where the Bishop of Rome and Shepherd of the Universal Church would also be sovereign—and thus head of state was, and remains, an arrangement designed to recognize this need for independence from any other state precisely, and not an affirmation of a dual mission.
Missio Dei Catholic
Unless your faith is firm
By Deacon Michael Halbrook, July 14, 2026
The domestic church is often the Bethsaida of our own lives. It is the place where we have seen the most - where the faith has been present longest, where prayer has been practiced, where the sacraments have been received again and again. And it is therefore the place most at risk of the failure Jesus names in the Gospel: not ignorance, not paganism, not the trodden-down law of nature, but the familiarity that mistakes witness for repentance. The household that has heard the word for decades without being changed by it is in more danger than the household that has never heard it at all. The faith that stands firm is not the faith that never trembles. It is the faith that, trembling, turns toward the one who has already named the enemies’ stumps — and stands.
The Imaginative Conservative
The restless heart
By Brian Sudlow, July 13, 2026
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be” (Matt 6:19-21). Matthew gives us a series of injunctions from the Lord, this time concerning our hearts and minds. First, He tells us not to treasure those things that do not last but rather to lay up our treasures in heaven. Second, He tells us something vital about the eye as the lamp of the body, but in this case, the eye is a kind of metonym, standing for the way we look at things. It is our perspectives that can make the difference between light and darkness in our souls. The juxtaposition of these commands about the heart and the mind in Jesus’ teachings reminds us that, as St. Irenaeus said, the glory of God is man fully alive.
First Things
Are autonomous weapons consistent with human rights?
By Charles C. Camosy, July 14, 2026
On Capitol Hill, July 1, 2026, three days before this nation marked its 250th anniversary. In 1776, the Founders of this republic made momentous, history-changing claims about human dignity and equality that rested on explicitly theological truths. Our human dignity and equality precede every institution, every calculation of efficiency, and every consequentialist appeal—including appeals to global military advantage. The question before this commission today—whether autonomous weapons are consistent with human rights—is related to other deep questions that our Founders would have answered theologically. What I have found in these conversations is not arrogance but something much closer to vertigo—brilliant and deeply moral people caught in a diabolical structure of sin that pulls them toward terrible outcomes they do not want. Are human lives reducible to data? Should decisions that take human life be reduced to algorithms?
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